Toxicity and genotoxicity of antimalarial alkaloid rich extracts derived from Mitragyna inermis O. Kuntze and Nauclea latifolia

The toxicity and the genotoxicity of antimalarial alkaloid rich extracts de rived from two plants used in traditional medicine in Mali (Mitragyna inerm is (Willd.) O. Kuntze Rubiaceae and Nauclea latifolia (Sm.) Rubiaceae) were evaluated on in vitro and in vivo systems. The results demonstrated that a n alkaloid rich extract derived from M. inermis induced a strong inhibition of protein synthesis in mammalian cells but did not exhibit mutagenic or g enotoxic activity, An alkaloid rich extract derived from N. latifolia could interact in vitro with DNA of bacteria and mammalian cells, leading to GB- M cell cycle arrest and heritable DNA-damage, as well as inducing in vivo s ingle-strand breaks in liver, kidney and blood cells. Copyright (C) 2000 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.